Bridge too far as Blues lack guile of a Giggs

FRUSTRATED at the end of as disappointing first half, Chelsea supporters were provided with relief when they were invited to welcome the player voted the club’s best ever onto the Stamford Bridge pitch at the interval.

Out walked Gianfranco Zola to be greeted by a response that made up of equal parts of adoration and longing.

As the memories flooded back of the Italian’s craft and guile, it was hard to avoid the fact that those were the qualities that divided the teams as Manchester planned their defence of the invaluable away goal scored by Wayne Rooney but indelibly stamped with the mark of Ryan Giggs.

And after 45 minutes when Chelsea’s familiar muscular approach had been found wanting, the continuing presence of Giggs in the United line-up, backed on this occasion by a rare, outstanding display from Michael Carrick, illustrated the gap that has existed between the two teams during their intense seven-year rivalry.

The two clubs have played out English football’s most absorbing saga since Roman Abramovich decided to appoint Jose Mourinho to develop his multi-million pound project in 2004.

Since then each has delivered fearsome blows, establishing dominance over the other for an extended period of time before the other rose from the canvas to reassert superiority.

During Mourinho’s first two years, the title took up residence in west London and the talk was all about a shift in the balance of power. That was never going to happen on Alex Ferguson’s watch and United responded by claiming a hat-trick of Premier League crowns and pulled off the biggest triumph of all in the Champions League final in 2008.

Undaunted, Chelsea fought back last season to claim the double under Carlo Ancelotti.

Yet during all that time of near equality, the two clubs have never mirrored each other style of play. They’ve come close at times, but Chelsea’s successes have always been won on the back of strength and physicality. Think Didier Drogba terrorising the best defenders in the business backed by a marauding Frank Lampard.

Ferguson, though, has always had players like Giggs, Paul Scholes and, at one time, Cristiano Ronaldo, at his disposal to provide more subtle craft.

And on last night’s performance, there is no sign that Giggs is losing his abilities even at the age of 37.

The Wales international has been imposing himself on Champions League nights for as long as most people can remember. In fact he’s been doing it as long as the rebranded competition has been in existence and this was no exception.

The vital commodity on a night when Premier League intensity was transplanted onto a European stage was control and Giggs provided it in spades. In the first half he ran the game, operating in a central midfield role, collecting the ball off his defence and providing intelligent, threaded service to the United forwards.

His most effective contribution came in the 24th minute when he was picked out by Carrick’s superb crossfield pass, worked his way along the byline and pulled back for Rooney to sidefoot home off the post. But that was by no means his only stand-out contribution.

The second half was a more testing battleground but, having filled in at left back during United’s 4-2 comeback at West Ham four days previously, he was not lacking when it came to stomach for the fight.

Carrick supported manfully and in comparison, the Chelsea pairing of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien appeared lumbering.

Naturally there was no way Chelsea were going to allow the United midfield to boss things all evening — the gap between the teams is too marginal for things like that to happen — and had Edwin van der Sar not been at his best and the Spanish referee at his most lenient, the final outcome may have been different.

As everyone connected with Chelsea will repeat mantra-like between now and the second leg at Old Trafford, the tie is only at the halfway stage.

It remains poised but so, tellingly, was Giggs. Just like Zola used to be.

It would be inaccurate to say Chelsea will have to change their style to get through — they have won at Old Trafford often enough in the recent past. But they need another string to their bow to finally achieve Abramovich’s dream and conquer Europe. Ferguson already has that option and it won’t have gone unnoticed that Scholes remained an unused sub.